Patricia Briggs: Staff

In the movies, an author lives a carefree life where they basically struggle with writer's block, alcoholism, or solving crimes and then, in a burst of inspiration, bang out a full-length novel in a few days which they send to their fawning editor. Oh, and they're always rich.

The reality is that, for those lucky enough to be able make a living, it is a good life, but there's a lot to do besides writing. This page is dedicated to those of us who grease the wheels so that Patty can continue writing. If you write to Patty or follow us on social media, you'll probably run one of us!

Ann Peters: Personal Assistant

Back in about 2011 our lives had become complicated. A house remodel had gone badly wrong, and we were living in Patty's tiny office trailer. She was months behind on her writing, and struggling to get the time to put words on paper. She spent nearly three months of precious time trying to figure out the incredibly Byzantine tax laws and get our taxes filed . . . late. The website was a disaster, the farm was catastrophe, and even our fairy-tale romance was occasionally a little brittle. We were officially in over our heads.

We needed to hire help, but the job seemed insurmountable. Wanted: someone with book keeping skills willing to tackle a mountain of paper. Also should be an avid reader, with a strong background in English, able to both proofread manuscripts and do market research. Must also be able to answer a growing number of emails (including some very strange ones) with tact and diplomacy. Oh, and by the way, you must be someone we can trust to know virtually everything about us (including exactly how much Mountain Dew Patty consumes during a writing binge). Under "other duties as assigned" the applicant should expect house-sitting, horse-sitting, scheduling a multitude of appearances and getting called at odd hours to pick us up from the airport.

We vacillated over hiring someone for months. We'd decided that Ann Peters, one of Patty's long term friends, would be perfect, but she was a key employee of a successful firm, and had been for many years. And then, in a moment of destiny, we overheard a rumor that Ann might be looking for a new job.

We begged, cajoled, pleaded and outright bribed Ann (look, it's a purple office!) to come work for us. We've often said she's the perfect cross of Disney Princess and Mary Poppins. We're delighted she's willing to work here, and have no idea how we survived without her. If you write us an email, Ann will probably be the one answering it. If you order something from the shop, Ann will be the one who processes the order. She is the little dynamo that keeps things running around here, and we are eternally grateful for her efforts!

Mike Briggs: Husband

Patty's husband, Mike, worked as a chemist, biologist, and computer nerd for many years. He now spends his days running the horse farm, repairing facilities, and keeping the web site updated. He also acts as Patty's research assistant, trying to make sure that most of the non-magical events in the book are at least nominally believable.